Latest news with #WheelchairRugby
CBC
3 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Zak Madell talks to Anastasia Bucsis about his wheelchair rugby success and road to retirement
In 2011, at the age of 17, Zak Madell made his debut on the Canadian national team. Madell then went on to compete in the 2012 Paralympic Games, helping the team to secure a silver medal. The four-time Paralympian has been a valuable asset to Wheelchair Rugby for 13 years, raising the profile of the sport in Canada and worldwide.
CTV News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Windsor, Ont. Paralympian helps Team Canada clinch World Championships spot
Windsor, Ont. Paralympian Matt Debly is back home after helping Team Canada qualify for the Wheelchair Rugby World Championships. They didn't bring home a gold, but a memory of a lifetime is associated with Debly's bronze medal. Matt Debly Team Canada Wheelchair Rugby Team Canada at the Wheelchair Rugby Americas Championship with their bronze medals in Brazil. (Source: World Wheelchair Rugby/Facebook) 'We were getting better and better every time to the point where it looked like we'd been playing together our whole careers,' Debly told CTV News. His moment came in overtime of the bronze medal game. Trailing the entire match against Columbia at the World Wheelchair Rugby Americas Championship, Canada came back to send the game into an extra session. With time running out, he found a seam up the middle. A teammate saw him streaking and hit Debly with a pass, which he took in for the game-winning try with 3.8 seconds left. 'To actually be up on the court playing at that moment and contributing to a comeback win like that, in such an important game for us, was really special and it's something that I'm going to remember, hopefully up until the next one,' Debly said. Entering this one, Debly wasn't sure how Canada would fare. Four players dropped out before the tournament for various reasons, leaving Canada with eight on the roster. Debly said the team practiced for two days prior to the tournament and then it was game time. 'The fact that we were able to just pretend like nothing was different, and we all kind of came together, and we were really able to grind our games is really impressive,' Debly noted. Matt Debly Team Canada Wheelchair Rugby Windsorite Matt Debly seen playing a game of Wheelchair Rugby in Brazil. (Source: Matt Debly/Facebook) The win punched Canada's ticket to the world championships, being hosted in the same facility in Sao Paolo, Brazil next year. Debly said the Canadian team is going through a rebuild and has not matched the success of recent years. 'But it's also been a lot of fun and a nice challenge to try and build Canada back up onto that podium,' he said. Debly plays for a team in Seattle in one of the best leagues in the world. He'd like to see the formation of a pro circuit and is excited about the growth of the game, which pulled in about 14,000 fans per game at the Paris Olympics last summer. 'I love it when it's loud and I love it even more when it's loud against us. You know, it's a special feeling to try and quiet a crowd in a crazy stadium,' Debly said. 'We want fans. We want eyes on the sport, and we want to show that not only are we elite athletes, but Canada is one of the top countries in the world.' Debly now enters a training phase until early October when camp opens to select next year's team. He also looks forward to the first tournament of the season with Seattle on Halloween weekend.
CBC
30-05-2025
- General
- CBC
2025 Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge - Canada vs New Zealand
Canada and New Zealand square off during the third day of the 2025 Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge from Netball SA Stadium in Adelaide, South Australia.
